GORINGCHEM – The third edition of the bicycle trade fair Vélovak was very successful in Evenementenhal Gorinchem on 22, 23 and 24 September. Fair organiser Easyfairs reports a record number of visitors; 2,113, over 500 professionals more than last year. The number of exhibitors also grew significantly from 66 in 2018 to 99 now, 58 of which participated in Vélovak for the first time. The next edition of Vélovak will take place on Sunday 27, Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September 2020.
“This was an edition that showed exactly where we want to go, partly thanks to the increased numbers of exhibitors and visitors, without losing sight of quality. Add to this the improved ambience, the sessions in the knowledge theatre, the Vélovak Innovatieplein and the Vélovakman Award, and we simply must conclude that Vélovak has developed into a crucial annual moment for cycling Benelux. For example, over 200 brands were present during the trade fair this year. This allowed us to help our visitors, the bike dealers from the Benelux, even more effectively by providing an extensive and complete offer,” Mascha de Bruin, Head of Event of Vélovak says.
Quality Before Quantity
The ambience at Vélovak was positive throughout all three days. Despite the bicycle trade fair of the Benelux starting on a summer’s day, all days were more popular this year than last year. The second day was the busiest by far with over 1,100 professionals from the bicycle industry. De Bruin: “We can’t complain about the interest, on the contrary. Our exhibitors were very pleased and had very productive and high-quality meetings. That’s the result we were after. We don’t need to be the biggest, but we do aim to take front and centre stage when it comes to quality.”
Scooters & Mopeds and Vélovak Innovatieplein
This year, the fair didn’t just feature the latest bikes, accessories, parts, shop and workshop fitting and retail services. Visitors could also discover the latest scooters and mopeds. Another new component of Vélovak was the Vélovak Innovatieplein, created with Nieuwfiets. In this square, the visitors could experience the innovations of the future, designed by design studios DNAMX, Shapeline and Mokumono.
Additionally, various seminars were held in the Tweewieler Kennistheater, including a presentation of exhibitor Denios about risk limitation concerning lithium-ion batteries and translating trends into opportunities held by trend watcher Deborah Nas on behalf of exhibitor OOMT. Another well-attended presentation addressed product design and user experience by CEO product designer Piet van der Velde.
Bicycle Mechanic of the Year 2019
The competition for honorary title ‘Bicycle mechanic of the year 2019’, or the Vélovakman Award, took place this year as well. This competition was held in the arena next to main sponsor and exhibitor Unior Bike Tools (Juncker Bike Parts). Training centre Tweewieler Academy served as judge for the competition. The exciting final was between Silvan Overtoom of the Fietshuys and Justin Brand of Justin’s Fietsservice. It was a close call with Justin brand as the big winner. He took home a cheque, a large trophy and a Vélovakman certificate 2019.
Vélovak 2020
The fourth edition of Vélovak will take place on Sunday 27, Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September 2020. There was some talk that Vélovak might have to exchange its Sunday for Wednesday due to logistical issues. Fortunately, a solution was found, which means that Vélovak keeps its traditional days in 2020: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
